Postoperative evaluation of ascending aortic prosthetic conduits by magnetic resonance imaging.

Operative repair of ascending thoracic aortic dissection and aneurysm often involves the placement of prosthetic aortic conduits and stents with wrapping of the native aorta around the prosthetic device. Postoperative assessment has been clinical because of the absence of an adequate noninvasive imaging modality and a reluctance to perform invasive contrast aortography. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed on ten patients after operative placement of a prosthetic ascending aortic graft. The MR images were reviewed and a grading system was devised based on appearance of the operative site. An increase in MR signal was noted in some patients between the graft and wrapped native vessel. In 20 percent of patients vascular lumen compromise was noted. Magnetic resonance imaging offers a noninvasive technique to assess postoperative complications and offers a viable alternative to invasive contrast aortography.

Amsacrine treatment of patients with supraventricular arrhythmias and acute leukemia.

Three patients with a history of supraventricular arrhythmia presented with relapse of acute leukemia. Two of the three patients were in sinus rhythm, receiving digoxin and/or verapamil daily. The third patient was in atrial fibrillation, but her heart rate was controlled with daily digoxin. All three patients received amsacrine without the occurrence of cardiac events. Although amsacrine may cause ventricular arrhythmias in the setting of hypokalemia, correction of the electrolyte abnormality permits its use in patients with a history of supraventricular arrhythmias.

Is it descending thoracic aortic dissection?

Complex thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repairs are preferably done by a staged approach, using the elephant trunk procedure. Postoperatively, such patients can present as a diagnostic dilemma if subjected to radiologic diagnostic studies such as computerized tomographic (CT) scanning or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the thoracic cavity. The authors report a patient who presented with symptoms of chest pain and underwent CT scanning and subsequently MRI of the chest. Both scans were interpreted to be consistent with aortic dissection; however, the elephant trunk prosthesis was responsible for simulating a dissection.

Caloric-induced nystagmus with isoelectric electroencephalogram.

Caloric vestibular testing induced nystagmus in a patient with an isoelectric electroencephalogram after cardiopulmonary arrest. This has been demonstrated previously in patients in a chronic persistent vegetative state with intact brainstem reflexes, but never in a patient with an isoelectric electroencephalogram. Animal studies indicate that the quick phase of nystagmus and horizontal saccades are generated in the paramedian pontine reticular formation. The present case supports the conclusion that caloric-induced nystagmus originates in the brainstem in rudimentary form.

Left main coronary artery aneurysm following percutaneous transluminal angioplasty: a report of a case and review of the literature.

Since its introduction in 1977, the number of PTCAs and its indications have grown. Along with more frequent usage, newer complications have been reported. Aneurysm of left main coronary artery is rare. This report describes the formation of a new non-obstructing aneurysm in the left main coronary artery after PTCA of left circumflex artery. The patient has had 7 yr of follow-up with a benign clinical course.

Coronary tandem lesions: effect of exercise.

Coronary vasomotion of two stenoses in series (i.e., tandem lesion) was studied in 10 patients with coronary artery disease. Percent area stenosis was 69% +/- 23% for the first (S1) lesion and 70% +/- 37% for the second (S2). Quantitative coronary arteriography was carried out at rest, during two levels of exercise (2 minutes, 75 W and 1.9 minutes, 100 W), and at 5 minutes after sublingual administration of 1.6 mg nitroglycerin. Both stenoses showed exercise-induced vasoconstriction (S1: -29%, p less than 0.01 versus rest; S2: -29%, p less than 0.01 versus rest), which was reversible after sublingual administration of nitroglycerin (S1: +15%, not significant versus rest; S2: +13%, not significant versus rest). The vessel segment between the two stenoses showed no vasomotion during exercise, whereas the pre- and poststenotic "normal" vessel segment elicited exercise-induced vasodilation. There was an inverse relationship between percent area stenosis of the second lesion and exercise-induced vasoconstriction of the first lesion (correlation coefficient = 0.84). The more severe the distal stenosis was, the less exercise-induced stenosis narrowing of the proximal lesion was observed. Thus it is concluded that coronary vasomotion of two stenoses in series is dependent on both active and passive mechanisms because both lesions show exercise-induced vasoconstriction, but vasomotion of the proximal lesion is dependent on the severity of the second one.

Identification of calcified intracardiac lesions using gradient echo MR imaging.

Gradient echo signal imaging (GEI) has expanded the clinical role of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the heart. The role of GEI to evaluate intracardiac calcified lesions was studied. All patients were imaged with both conventional spin echo (SE) techniques and GEI. The GEI demonstrated that calcific cardiac lesions exhibit magnetic susceptibility differences and produce marked hypointensity throughout the calcified area. All patients had echocardiographic and fluoroscopic evidence of cardiac calcification and surgical confirmation of calcified lesions. The SE MR was unable to define the intracardiac calcification. Gradient echo imaging may be a helpful adjunct in the complete definition of intracardiac calcific lesions. When profound signal void areas are detected on cardiac GEI studies, calcification should be suspected.

Polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.

The case of a patient with torsade de pointes in the setting of congenital complete heart block is described. Lack of recognition of this polymorphic ventricular tachycardia resulted in therapy that potentiated the dysrhythmia. After correct recognition, and directed therapy, the patient responded appropriately. The clinical settings, recognition, and management options available for torsade de pointes are discussed to familiarize the emergency physician with this important and unique dysrhythmia.

Regression of coronary artery dimensions after successful aortic valve replacement.

BACKGROUND: The effect of regression of myocardial hypertrophy on coronary artery dimensions was evaluated in patients with aortic valve disease who underwent valve replacement. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cross-sectional area (CSA) of the three major coronary arteries (left anterior descending [LAD], left circumflex [LCx], and right coronary artery) was determined by quantitative coronary arteriography in 15 patients with aortic valve disease before and 38 months (range, 14-113 months) after successful aortic valve replacement. Twelve normal subjects served as controls. Left ventricular (LV) angiographic mass was calculated according to the method of Rackley. CSA of the left coronary artery was larger in aortic valve disease than in controls (LAD, 15 versus 8 mm2, p less than 0.001; LCx, 14 versus 6 mm2, p less than 0.001). After valve replacement, CSA of the left coronary artery decreased (LAD, 12 mm2, p less than 0.05 versus before surgery; LCx, 11 mm2, p less than 0.05 versus before surgery) but remained significantly larger than in controls. CSA of the right coronary artery in patients with aortic valve disease was not different from controls. LV muscle mass was significantly increased in aortic valve disease patients before (364 g) and after (250 g) valve replacement compared with controls (135 g). The appropriateness of coronary artery size with respect to muscle mass was evaluated by normalizing CSA of the left coronary artery (LAD + LCx) per 100 g of LV muscle mass (mm2/100 g). This index amounted to 11 mm2/100 g in controls, to 8 mm2/100 g in preoperative patients (p less than 0.05 versus controls), and to 10 mm2/100 g in postoperative patients with aortic valve disease (p = NS versus controls). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with aortic valve disease, CSA of the proximal LAD and LCx is increased, but this increase is not sufficient to keep CSA per 100 g of LV mass within normal limits. The postoperative decrease in muscle mass is associated with a decrease in the size of LAD and LCx, whereas the size of the right coronary artery remains unchanged. In contrast to the preoperative state, the residually hypertrophied LV myocardium after aortic valve replacement is supplied by an enlarged but adequately sized LAD and LCx.

Long-term clinical outcome of rescue balloon angioplasty compared with rescue stenting after failed thrombolysis.

Failed thrombolysis following acute myocardial infarction is associated with a poor prognosis. Balloon angioplasty with or without stenting is an established procedure in acute myocardial infarction and for failed thrombolysis (rescue percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty [PTCA]). Intracoronary stenting improves initial success rates, decreases incidence of abrupt closure, and reduces the rate of restenosis after angioplasty. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of rescue PTCA with rescue stenting in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction after failed thrombolysis. Clinical data are from a retrospective review of 102 patients requiring rescue balloon angioplasty or stenting after failed thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction. There was a greater incidence of recurrent angina in 11 patients (22%) in the rescue PTCA group versus 2 patients (4%) in the rescue stenting group. The in-hospital recurrent myocardial infarction rate was 14% in the rescue PTCA group versus 2% in the stented group. In the rescue PTCA cohort, 11 patients (22%) required in-hospital repeat revascularization versus 2 patients in the stented group. The in-hospital mortality rate was higher in the PTCA group (10%) versus that in the stent group (2%). There was no significant difference in the incidence of postdischarge deaths. Rescue stenting is superior to rescue angioplasty. The procedure is associated with lower in-hospital angina and recurrent myocardial infarction, and the need for fewer repeat revascularizations. Long-term patients treated with stents required fewer revascularization procedures. Overall, rescue stenting was associated with a significantly lower mortality.

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) combined with stenting improves clinical outcomes compared with PTCA alone in acute myocardial infarction.

Balloon angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction is an established procedure. The procedure is limited by the potential for early abrupt reocclusion (18-20%) and other complications. Coronary stenting improves the initial success rate, decreases the incidence of abrupt closure, and is associated with a reduced rate of restenosis. For these reasons, coronary stenting is increasingly utilized to treat acute myocardial infarction. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of coronary stenting with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in the management of acute myocardial infarction. Clinical data from a retrospective review of 228 consecutive patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction who underwent primary or rescue coronary intervention were used. There was a significantly greater incidence of in-hospital recurrent myocardial infarction in the PTCA group (10%) versus the stented group (1%). In the PTCA cohort, 10 patients required in-hospital repeat revascularization by PTCA compared with one patient in the stented group. The in-hospital death rate was significantly higher in the PTCA group (8%) compared with the stented group (1%). There was no significant difference in the incidence of postdischarge death or repeated revascularization. The results suggest that patients who undergo PTCA with stent deployment have fewer episodes of in-hospital recurrent angina, myocardial infarctions, repeat angioplasties, and fewer in-hospital deaths. PTCA with stenting was associated with a low in-hospital mortality (1%). For patients who had PTCA alone and survived to be discharged, there was no significant difference in overall mortality or the need for revascularization over the 2-year follow-up period.

Electrocardiographic pseudo-myocardial infarct pattern in malignant cardiac disease.

A patient with disseminated diffuse histiocytic lymphoma had persistent electrocardiographic (ECG) signs of acute myocardial infarction without clinical, enzymatic, or hemodynamic evidence of myocardial necrosis. The ECG findings were felt to be secondary to myocardial tumor invasion by antemortem noninvasive testing. This was confirmed by postmortem examination. Based on this report and a literature review, the particular ECG findings noted (lateral leads) are felt to be highly predictive of direct tumor invasion in this setting.

MR imaging in the definition of coronary artery anomalies.

Coronary angiography remains the standard imaging technique to study coronary artery anatomy. Coronary artery aneurysms and fistulas are often incompletely visualized with routine angiography. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of such coronary anomalies is presented. The MR images improve the preoperative assessment of patients with coronary artery aneurysms and fistulas.

Primary cardiac tumors. Diagnosis and management in 14 cases.

In our experience over a 10-year period at Westchester County Medical Center (Valhalla, NY), we diagnosed 11 left atrial myxomas and three primary cardiac malignancies in ten females and four males, aged 18-74 years. Two-dimensional echocardiography enabled the correct diagnosis of these lesions. Detailed characteristics of the cardiac tumors were provided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning in five patients. Two of three malignancies were only biopsied; the myxomas were completely excised. We emphasized removal of tumor and its attachments to the atrial wall, accomplished by left or biatrial incision, full-thickness excision of the area of attachment, and pericardial patch closure of the atrial or free-wall defects. Associated procedures included mitral valve repair (three) and coronary artery bypass grafting (two). There was no mortality associated with the surgery. Two patients with malignancy died three and 36 months after surgery; a third is alive at 30 months after surgery. No patients with myxoma has had recurrence from 16 to 100 months. Preoperative diagnosis of cardiac tumors is enhanced by MRI scanning and may help in planning the surgical procedure. Complete and timely removal of these tumors contributes to long-standing patient survival.

Long-term clinical outcome of stenting in primary and rescue angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction.

Long-term clinical outcome after use of stents in primary and rescue coronary angioplasty for treatment of acute myocardial infarction has not been described in detail. This study was conducted to evaluate long-term (more than one year) outcome in patients treated for acute myocardial infarction with stents. Between January 1, 1997 and September 1997, 101 consecutive patients had coronary artery stents implanted either for primary treatment of myocardial infarction or after failed thrombolytic therapy. Medical records of these patients were reviewed and telephone follow-up was performed using a standard questionnaire. Mean duration of follow-up was 17.8 +/- 1.7 months. During initial hospitalization only one patient had emergent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty due to stent thrombosis (1%); two patients underwent emergent coronary artery bypass surgery (2%) and two patients died (2%). During the follow-up period, ten patients (10%) had recurrent angina, eight patients were treated medically (8%), two required repeat angioplasty (2%), two patients died (2%), and three patients (3%) were lost to follow-up. Stenting of the culprit vessel during acute myocardial infarction appears to be a safe and effective treatment associated with favorable in-hospital and long-term outcomes.

Origin of all three coronary arteries from separate ostia in the right sinus of Valsalva: a rarely reported coronary artery anomaly.

Anomalous origin of the circumflex and left anterior descending coronary arteries from separate ostia in the right sinus of Valsalva is a rarely reported phenomenon. Few clinical details concerning patients with this anomaly are available in the literature. Angiographic and clinical data in an adult patient with this finding are reported here.

Cancer in universal and left-sided ulcerative colitis: factors determining risk.

A retrospective study of 267 patients with ulcerative colitis admitted to The Mount Sinai Hospital during the period 1960--1976 revealed 26 (9.7%) with adenocarcinoma of the colon. Twenty-one cases of colorectal cancer were observed among 158 patients with universal colitis (13%), and 5 occurred among 109 patients with left-sided disease (5%). Patients with left-sided disease tended to develop cancer at least a decade later than patients with universal disease. The median duration from onset of colitis to diagnosis of cancer was 20 yr for those with universal colitis, and 32 yr for those with left-sided colitis. The decade incidence of colorectal carcinoma increased from 0.4% in the first decade to 7.4% in the second, 15.9% in the third, and 52.6% in the fourth decade of follow-up. The estimated cumulative probability of developing cancer reached 34% at 30 yr and 64% at 40 yr. Cancer risk was positively correlated with duration and anatomic extent of colitis, but did not appear to be increased by early age at onset of disease.

Reduced thrombus burden with abciximab delivered locally before percutaneous intervention in saphenous vein grafts.

BACKGROUND: Existing thrombus can complicate percutaneous saphenous vein graft (SVG) intervention. Local delivery of thrombolytics has been used to reduce the thrombus burden often associated with these interventions. We sought to determine whether local delivery of a platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor is feasible and can reduce thrombus burden before percutaneous SVG intervention. METHODS: We performed a multicenter pilot study of abciximab (0.25 mg/kg) given by local delivery catheter before percutaneous intervention for de novo SVG stenoses followed by intravenous infusion. All patients (n = 58) had >/=60% stenosis and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) grade >0 flow in an SVG of 3 to 4 mm in diameter. Percent diameter stenosis, TIMI thrombus grade, and TIMI flow grade were measured before and after delivery of abciximab and after intervention. RESULTS: Median percent diameter stenosis improved from 69% to 45% (P =.0001) after local delivery, and TIMI thrombus grade >/=1 incidence reduced from 68% to 34% (P =.0001). TIMI flow grade was not significantly affected (P =.12). All patients had a successful intervention (